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Michael Pinkus is a multi-award-winning wine writer, national and international wine judge, educator, journalist, social-media content maker, host and co-creator of the podcast Two Guys Talking Wine. He is also former President of the Wine Writers’ Circe of Canada (2010-2015).  He has been called "a very knowledgeable and honest taster and writer"; "a passionate wine man with a sense of humor"; a...

Elizabeth Smith is a former community college professor of French and Spanish turned award-winning writer, copywriter, and journalist by way of a detour through the Napa Valley and Sonoma County wine industries. She is the lead product copywriter for Naked Wines USA, as well as a contributing wine, food, travel, and lifestyle journalist to Food, Wine, and Travel (FWT) Magazine, Napa Valley Lif...

Welcome to Tobias ‘Toby’ Gorn as a new Circle Member. Toby is an award-winning drinks and cigar writer with several columns in print and online. He has two decades of experience in the industry, including being head sommelier for Michelin star awarded establishments and is a Scotch Malt Whisky Society veteran. Throughout his career, in addition to wine, he has always loved whiskies, gin and the...

The shortlist for the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards 2022 is out, and Circle members Billy Abbott and Amanda Barnes are both shortlisted for the Debut Drink Book Award. Now in its tenth edition, the awards celebrate drinks, cookery and food books as well as awards for food and drinks writers and televisions presenters. For the Debut Drink Book Award, Billy Abbott is shortlisted with ...

Jancis Robinson has recorded and launched a wine education course on the new BBC Maestro platform. As one of the world's most esteemed wine experts, Robinson’s course offers lessons focused on debunking common wine myths, breaking down tasting techniques, and deciphering both labels and the language of wine. While choosing a bottle can, at least initially, feel like a daunting experience, Robinson...

Married MWs Susie Barrie and Peter Richards launched their Big English Wine Adventure back in 2016 – the warmest year recorded on earth until that point – when they made a traditional method sparkling Blanc de Blancs in conjunction with Hampshire winery Hattingley Valley. They’ve since added a 2017 Meunier/Chardonnay sparkling blend and a 2018 red Pinot Noir made in collaboration with one of En...

Throughout her career, Aleesha has been drawn to stories of people and places. This interest led her to study the NCTJ Diploma, going on to work as a multimedia journalist, before producing TV documentaries. It was a natural progression when she fell into the wine trade, after many a year as an engaged consumer, and quickly became fascinated by the anthropology of wine and the role it plays in ...

William F. O’Connor, Ed.D, is a longtime resident of Japan, where he served on the faculty of Asia University for more than three decades and currently holds the title “Professor Emeritus.” He is the author of numerous publications on topics ranging from English-language education to political propaganda and is the co-author of the book Drinking Japan: It’s Not Just Sake. His blog drinkingjapan.o...

“Too often Bordeaux has been portrayed as a gated community of overpriced wines,” says Jane Anson, noted author and expert on the wines of the region, “but the Bordeaux of today is one of the most exciting wine regions of the world, not only making wines with precision and ambition but increasingly at the forefront of the green movement, and reclaiming its role as centre of the global wine trade.”...